In Monday's Washington Post environmental reporter Juliet Eilperin wrote up a large article on Al Gore's latest climate heroics, headlined "Gore Launches Ambitious Advocacy Campaign on Climate." Gore has pledged to spend $300 million over 3 years "aimed at mobilizing Americans to push for aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, a move that ranks as one of the most ambitious and costly public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history."
Skeptics of catastrophic global warming theory do show up -- in paragraph 20. Before that, we learn Al Gore's putting together strange bedfellows: "One of its early ads will feature the unlikely alliance of clergymen Pat Robertson and Al Sharpton sitting on a couch on Virginia Beach, talking about their commitment to address climate change."
Eilperin also notes that John McCain is at least partially committed to Gore's global goals, and he also has the support of former Republican congressman Sherwood Boehlert. (She doesn't note Boehlert is the most liberal of Republicans and a Sierra Club favorite.)
In fact, Gore and his crusade are never labeled "liberal" by Eilperin, although at the very end, the Center for American Progress is described as "progressive." Conservative activists were also not labeled -- they were merely identified as doing the bidding of polluting donors:
The climate alliance's initiative, however, will not go unchallenged by climate change skeptics. Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, a nonprofit funded by the coal industry and its allies, is spending about $35 million this election to bolster support for coal-generated electricity. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank that receives part of its funding from oil and gas companies, recently spent close to $35,000 to run a television ad both in the District and in scattered cities throughout the country attacking Gore, and plans a follow-up campaign. The ad argues that Gore and his allies in Hollywood use plenty of energy but that "Al Gore wants to cut our energy use, putting our jobs and our future in jeopardy."
Myron Ebell, who directs energy and global warming policy for CEI, said the fact that Gore feels compelled to run such an elaborate ad campaign highlights the extent to which his conservation message has failed to resonate with the American public. "He's spending a hundred million dollars to convince the American people to make sacrifices that he and his elite friends are not willing to make," Ebell said, adding that while many Americans may now blame humans for causing climate change, "the American people are not there with other alarmists" when it comes to supporting deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
For only getting two paragraphs in what is otherwise a press release for liberal environmentalism, at least Ebell made the most of it.
What's left out of the talk of big dollars being spent on paid ads -- paid in part by the Live Earth concerts, for example -- is how the major media has assisted Gore with all kinds of in-kind contributions of publicity. You would think NBC Universal would be cranky after reading this.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
The More Things Change the More they Stay the Same
March 31, 2008 - 09:02 ET by allanfFive thousand years ago, tribesman concerned over a long dry spell might have sacrified a virgin to the gods. Today the Goreists sacifice a coal fired power plant.
Its all the same theme.
Al Gore using non-scientists to promote AGW Religion
March 31, 2008 - 09:14 ET by PopularTechAl Sharpton, College Dropout
Pat Robertson, B.A., J.D., M.A. Divinity (no science degree)
He will continue to use religion to promote his eco-religion as he has in the past:
Gore Uses Religion to Attract 'Global Warming' Converts (CNSNews)
The Anti 'Man-Made' Global Warming Resource
The money quotes.
March 31, 2008 - 09:40 ET by Missouri Conservative"....Americans for Balanced Energy Choices, a nonprofit funded by the coal industry and 'its allies'"....
"....think thank that receives 'part of its funding' from oil and gas companies...."
Don't you love how the drive-bys throw these "facts" out there? Basically, if your budget is 10 million, yet you receieve $25,000 of that from an oil/coal company, you are receiving "part of your funding" from them - even though its less than 1 percent. From watching this piece, the viewer is led to believe that these outfits are wholly-owned subsidiaries of oil & gas companies.
Funny, they never mention where the Center for American Progress gets their funding, or where Greenpeace gets theirs. And it's never relevant when environmental groups fund environmental studies. No, that doesn't "taint" the work. That's only the case if those studies are funded by evil oil & gas companies.
"women and minorities hardest hit"
Algorista
March 31, 2008 - 09:54 ET by lotrAlthough I believe AGW to be based upon sound physical models and observations, I am no fan of Gore (nor his former boss, Hillary Rodham Clinton). Here is but one reason for such aversion:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/house.asp
Like most folks here, I had heard about Gore's hypocrisy, but I only recently learned about George W. Bush's comparatively modest standard of living. The thing to bear in mind, too, is that Gore is but the poster child for leftist elitism -- he ain't the only one who lives high on the hog in mansions and ivory towers.
Al Gore is a Hypocrite
March 31, 2008 - 13:35 ET by PopularTechAlthough I believe AGW is an invented hysteria based on bogus climate models, manipulated data and completely unproven via the scientific method, I agree Al Gore is a Hypocrite:
Al Gore and Global Warming - Is He a Hypocrite? (Video) (10min)
Al Gore's Gulfstream (Video) (7min)
Al Gore, Environmentalist and Zinc Miner (The Wall Street Journal)
- Environmentalist Gore allowed zinc mine (USA Today)
Al Gore's Inconvenient Toxic Waste Dump (NewsMax)
Al Gore, polluter? (WorldNetDaily)
Al Gore Refuses to Take Personal Energy Ethics Pledge (US Senate Environment & Public Works Committee)
Al Gore: The Other Oil Candidate (CorpWatch)
Bush's Ranch House 'Far More Eco-Friendly' Than Gore's (CNSNews)
- George W. Bush's eco-friendly ranch compared to Al Gore's energy-expending mansion = True (Snopes)
Eco-warrior Al Gore serves up endangered fish at daughter's party (Daily Mail, UK)
Gore home's energy use: 20 times average (WorldNetDaily)
- Al Gore's residence uses considerably more energy than the average American home = True (Snopes)
Gore isn't quite as green as he's led the world to believe (USA Today)
Hypocrite Gore Should Practice What He Preaches (The Tech, MIT)
Integrity in the Balance: Al Gore's Record On the Environment (CorpWatch)
Meet the real Al Gore (WorldNetDaily)
Occidental Petroleum Corporation Connections (The Wall Street Journal)
Old-Growth Timber used to Rebuild the Veranda of the Vice Presidential Mansion (Newsweek)
Whose Ox Is Gored? The Former Vice President's Environmental Exaggerations and Hypocrisy (The Wall Street Journal)
The Anti 'Man-Made' Global Warming Resource
The BUCK Stope Here!
March 31, 2008 - 09:56 ET by planetrepublicanThis is all well and good, Algore can throw his $ wherever he wants to. But check out this article about Congressman Dingell's $0.50 a gallon gas tax to fight "Global Warming". When Algore and the MSM and the gullible preachers and politicos try to affect our economy with this junk science, watch how fast the "folks", all of whom want a clean planet, HOWL! Smelling utter defeat in the air the cheap worthless politicos will fold first and we will be left with a bunch of hot air coming from Algore. They will NEVER put this crap in, not in America. We get our energy from oil and I don't give a hoot how smooth-talking Obama is, he, nor Algore, will never get to 1st base with this crap-o-la.
Gore showed up on MSM this weekend
March 31, 2008 - 10:12 ET by JayTeeI think it was 60 minutes ? I was surfing and him and tipper were being showcased . . . Of course they opened with his election loss by the "Supreme Court" rullings, and refused to mention votes except in the vein of he won all the Popular votes.
This is good, Americans can see how close they came to electing the wrong person, such that the people who knew him Best, Tennesee, would not let him carry his home state.
If Gore wins Tenn., he's the President. Meanwhile, the winning of the Nobel Peace Prize has not gone un-noticed, as Americans are still wondering WHY ?
The Coldest WInter in years is now becoming the Coldest Spring in years, as my particular neck of the woods is 10 degrees below normal, and it has been that way ALL of March. Gore is desperately waiting for SUMMER, as he can't push his Agenda in the middle of record Snowfalls.
didn't they give a nobel Peace Prize
March 31, 2008 - 11:13 ET by theduck6to a died in the wool, first rate Palestinian terrorist?
A Grammy to a group of chicks from dixie who couldn't get their record played at gunpoint and any liberal politician who reads their book for profit even if no one bought it?
These awards mean nothing anymore.
so called man made warming
March 31, 2008 - 11:52 ET by welderforeone only has to read the article about the Aqua satellite that has sent back more iformation on the weather, it kills any idea that man made is part of the problem and this is being left out of the main stream news . the so called elite who send us our weather reports are grappling with the information because it upsets their little apple cart.
The information it is sending back is showing the whole warming myth is just that, a pure myth . 180 degrees against the warming alarmist and they are still trying to scare children in our schools . it is a snake oil sale only it is not science as we know it, it is speculation of the worse kind, they will stand by it no matter what the real information reveals . The news media is tied to it like with chains they can't break away from it it is as if they are in a trance.
Beware the global warming group they do not want the truth they want something they can join in and perputrate on the public.300 million in ads to spread untruth on the air ways is not in the public interest it is to get us to go into poverty like the third world countries and then the third world will starve from no food. The alarmist have already doubled our energy bills and to stay warm in the winter is tripled , all because of this tripe spewed forth from the news media .
60 Minutes
March 31, 2008 - 11:03 ET by Apache60 Minutes is an alarmist sitcom. The last few times I forced myself to watch it had some segment they could use for their one sided AGW drivel. Not that their reporting on nearly anything else is any better.
"Gore has pledged to spend
March 31, 2008 - 11:29 ET by Hunter12"Gore has pledged to spend $300 million over 3 years..."
Anyone out there really think Al will be spending his own money? If so, I have a lovely property in San Francisco I'd like to sell you. It's a natural money-maker and you'll recoup the $20 Million asking price in a matter of a few months with toll booths at each end.
Edit: Al has pledged the procceds from "An Inconvenient Truth" to the ACP. The worldwide gross on the movie is over $50M. He must have gotten 10% of the movie:
"Gore is Chairman of the Board of the ACP and 'has contributed some $5 million in residuals and profits from 'An Inconvenient Truth' to the organisation. He says he will contribute his Nobel share - $750,000 - to them also."
Maybe I'm just cynical. That appears to be a small cut from a movie made from a slide show of him yacking. The production costs couldn't have been too much, a video camera and some tape. I wonder if he ran that profit through the Google IPO before he turned it over to the ACP. In any case, it's not a bad trade. I give you the visible portion of the money I made on this film and you jet-set me around the world for years to high priced forums and speeches.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill
Pat Robertson
March 31, 2008 - 11:16 ET by candanceWasn't it just a few weeks ago that liberals on here were talking of how Pat Robertson is such an influencial Christian and how he's so far right and how his possible endorsement of McCain was worse than Jeremiah Wright endorsing Obama?
Lookie what we have here, proof of what conservatives have been saying all along - Pat Robertson is no longer one of us.
He already proved it before
March 31, 2008 - 11:20 ET by sarcasmoBy endorsing Rudy. That went well, if you like comedy.
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
Not strange bedfellows
March 31, 2008 - 14:16 ET by BrauI don't find anything strange with the inclusion of religious figureheads, simply because they both utilize doom and gloom to evangelize their agendas. Like the GW alarmists, Christians believe the earth is going to hell in a handbasket and hence justify the need for a saviour. Gore is no different, preaching apocalyptic "end times" based on nothing more than what he wants to believe. Truth or fact doesn't matter to people of this ilk, and somehow it always makes them very wealthy.